Disclosure: We earn commissions on purchases made through our links. This never influences our scores. Editorial policy
Thorne vs NOW Foods Red Yeast Rice (2026)
Disclosure: We earn commissions on purchases made through our links. This never influences our scores. Editorial policy
The Verdict
Thorne takes it on our rubric, 84 to 76 on our 0-100 execution score, and the gap is concentrated in purity verification, where Thorne scores a full 25 against NOW's 19. In our view the published citrinin assay under 0.05 ppm is the strongest reason to pay Thorne's premium in this specific category, and it is the reason Thorne carries our Top Pick badge here. NOW wins our value pillar 20 to 14 and is roughly five times cheaper per day, and its single 1200mg tablet is the simplest dosing schedule in the category, hitting the lower end of the clinical range with one pill.
Thorne's cons are real too: it takes two capsules to reach 1800mg, and it is priced well above the category. In our view, choose Thorne if contamination testing is your deciding factor, and NOW if single-tablet convenience and per-day cost dominate. Red yeast rice interacts with several medications, so this is a category to clear with your doctor before starting.
Red Yeast Rice (formerly Choleast-900)
Thorne
Red Yeast Rice 1200mg
NOW Foods
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Category | Red Yeast Rice (formerly Choleast-900) Thorne | Red Yeast Rice 1200mg NOW Foods |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Score | 84/100Winner | 76/100 |
| Dosing & Form | 22/25Winner | 22/25 |
| Purity | 25/25Winner | 19/25 |
| Value | 14/25 | 20/25Winner |
| Transparency | 23/25Winner | 15/25 |
| Cost/Day | $1.24 | $0.22Winner |
| Dose/Serving | 900mg | 1200mg |
| Form | Red yeast rice powder (Monascus purpureus) | Red yeast rice powder tablet (Monascus purpureus) |
| Third-Party Tested | ✓ Yes | No |
| Proprietary Blend | No | No |
Why This Comparison Matters
Red yeast rice is a category where contamination testing matters more than usual, because the fermentation that produces the ingredient can also produce citrinin. That single issue is most of what separates these two products.
Thorne's Red Yeast Rice (formerly Choleast-900) is a 900mg capsule made in an NSF-registered and TGA-registered facility, and Thorne publishes a citrinin assay showing under 0.05 ppm. NOW Foods runs a 1200mg single tablet from an NPA A-rated facility with internal citrinin screening, but does not publish a limit. Cost separates them the other way: about $1.24 per day for Thorne against about $0.22 for NOW.
One thing both share: neither declares a monacolin K content on the label, which our notes attribute to the FDA's position on the ingredient. We scored both on dosing and form, purity verification, value, and label transparency.
Detailed Score Breakdown
Red Yeast Rice (formerly Choleast-900)
Thorne
Thorne does not declare a specific monacolin K content per label restrictions, but publishes a third-party citrinin assay showing under 0.05 ppm, which is the strongest contamination posture in the category
Thorne is NSF-registered and TGA-registered, runs four rounds of testing on every batch, and publishes citrinin results below 0.05 ppm (well under the EU 100 mcg/kg limit)
$1.24/day at 1.33 capsules (1200mg, lower clinical bound) and $1.87/day at 2 capsules (1800mg, the Becker dose) after a 2026 price drop - premium pricing reflects the testing rigor, not bargain territory
Full ingredient disclosure, batch-tested certificates available, citrinin assay publicly reported even though label cannot declare monacolin K under FDA enforcement
Thorne reformulated and renamed from Choleast to Red Yeast Rice but kept the same fermentation source and contamination testing standard
Red Yeast Rice 1200mg
NOW Foods
Same NOW sourcing as the 600mg, in a 1200mg single-tablet format that hits the lower clinical dose range with one tablet
NOW NPA A-rated facility with internal citrinin screening, no published monacolin K assay
$0.22/day at 1 tablet (1200mg) - convenient single-tablet dosing at an improved 2026 price
Tablet form, ingredient list clean, but same FDA-compliant non-disclosure of monacolin K and no public citrinin numbers
The single-tablet 1200mg format is the simplest dose schedule on the market for the lower end of the clinical range
How We Compared These Products
Every product in our database is scored on four equally-weighted pillars: dosing accuracy and form quality, purity verification (third-party testing), cost per clinically effective dose (not cost per pill), and label transparency. Each pillar is worth 25 points for a total of 100.
Cost per effective dose is calculated using the clinically studied dose from published research, not the manufacturer's suggested serving. If a product requires multiple servings to reach the dose used in clinical trials, that cost is reflected in the value score.
For a full explanation of our scoring methodology, see our methodology page. Prices were last checked on the dates listed for each product and may have changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does neither label list a monacolin K amount?
Per our product notes, neither Thorne nor NOW declares a monacolin K content on the label, which both attribute to the FDA's position on the ingredient. Thorne's response is to publish a third-party citrinin assay instead, showing under 0.05 ppm. NOW runs internal citrinin screening but does not publish the limit.
Which red yeast rice is cheaper per day?
NOW Foods, by a wide margin. Our data has NOW at about $0.22 per day at one 1200mg tablet against Thorne at about $1.24 per day at the lower clinical dose (roughly 1.33 capsules). Thorne rises to about $1.87 per day at the two-capsule 1800mg dose.
More Red Yeast Rice Comparisons
We earn commissions on purchases made through our links. This never influences our scores or recommendations. See our editorial policy.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.